Books by Kenneth Bagnell

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Kenneth Bagnell is also author of widely read Canadian books, the best known being The Little Immigrants, published by Macmillan, on all bestseller lists for roughly a year and cited by one major critic as, “one of the finest pieces of Canadian social history ever to be written.” Now over thirty years and eleven printings since it first appeared it’s still available from most bookstores. His second book, Canadese: A Portrait of the Italian-Canadians, was also published by Macmillan, very favorably reviewed, widely read and still available through Amazon.com.

For over a half century he has been involved in issues and practices surrounding bereavement. In 2008, his book, Then and Now: Funeral Service in Ontario, appeared as a limited edition to mark the founding of OFSA, the professional organization of Ontario funeral directors. The book treats several major incidents in Ontario funerary history from the cooperative professional response to the tragic fire claiming 118 passengers aboard the Noronic in Toronto harbor in 1949, the ever growing presence of women in the educational program at Toronto’s Humber College and funeral service’s adaptation to Canada’s ever growing multicultural society with its distinct customs and funeral rites.